Reformátusok Lapja, 1950 (50. évfolyam, 8-24. szám)
1950-06-15 / 12. szám
6 REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA correctness of this policy. After the collapse of old Hungary and her great Reformed Church, the American work was given up and all the congregations, with one exception, returned into the folds of the Reformed Church in the United States, on the basis of the so called Tiffin Agreement, made (Oct. 1921) between the Hungarian Con- Fairport ventus and our own Board of Home Missions. That lone congregation (Duquesne, Pa.) did not follow the rest but seceded and started a new movement: The Free (Independent) Magyar Church in America. There a new flare shot up, a more bitter fight than all the previous ones. The paper, under able editors, took a very active part in this fight too, which could have continued even unto our very days, if the editorial policies would not have been changed by the present editor, who refused to fight and thus keep the fires of national separatism or segregationalism burning. There was another extremist movement at that time, about 25 years ago, a veritable freak try-out of the Lambeth Confession, on the ground of which our churches would have joined the Episcopalian Church. This our paper also vehemently opposed and finally completely crashed. Ten years ago our paper published a unique JUBILEE BOOK. That year, 1940, witnessed a real constellation of five jubilees: the paper was 40 years old, the Hungarian work of our Church was 50 years old, the Evangelical Synod was 100 years old, the Reformed Church was 215 years old, and it was the 350th anniversary of the first publication (in 1590) of the complete Bible printed in the Hungarian language. The Jubilee Book, even today our largest publication, was printed on 400 large pages, carrying 70 articles illustrated with 333 photographs. Almost every one of our ministers contributed. In contains their pictures and the pictures of the church buildings and parsonages, etc. This book is a present of the paper today to the members of the General Synod: they may take a copy of it at the exhibit tables. All those were very interesting events in these fifty years which are now terminating. But in our conviction the latest achievement was the greatest among all the undertakings of this paper, resulting in the present World- Action. Our World-Action among the Refugees Urged by Dr. Barnabas Dienes, whom our Church sent over to Europe to visit the camps of Hungarian Refugees, in the last month of 1947 we sent over about 1500 old copies of our paper to about forty such camps, for free distribution among the Reformed refugees. And from the next month on we printed 2000, later 3000 copies more for this action. When we started that, we had no financial provision for it and not one cent for it. Since that time this action, growing continuously in its scope, cost us about 7,000 dollars; and it is all paid. If ever there was a glorious vindication of pure faith alone: this certainly was one. It was God who took care of this move. He did, because the need was present and immense. The unexpected and almost unbelievably favorable reception was indeed highly gratifying and also humiliating us before such abject suffering and dark tragedies. From every camp hundreds of letters came to assure us that those copies were read by all the Hungarians without any discrimination about their religion; they are passed around “until the paper can stand it”. Touching testimonies were received, not only written, but painted, embroidered or expressed in many different handiworks. It was the most heartwarming experience of our life. We hurried to pass it over to our congregations and church members here. And the miracle worked another miracle here. Upon one word of request, our readers came to help this undertaking. Slowly the churches moved too. Magyar Synod helped greatly. Finally our whole Church heard about it and came to our help most magnificently. And the work, the first missionary undertaking of our Reformed Hungarians in America, still grew by leaps, in two directions. One was the territory visited. As the refugees slowly scattered all over the world: the paper went after them, and today it goes to every continent and to about thirty different countries! The other direction was a real broadening of the original undertaking: the establishment of a central office, to take care of all the spiritual needs of the Reformed Hungarians, scattered all over the world, by mailing to them our paper, written complete divine services, pamphlets, books, gospel and Bible parts or new testaments and Bibles, etc. Indeed, God has greatly blessed the modest undertaking of two and half years ago; and we will always praise His name for this magnificent privilege which He permitted us to turn to the glory of His name! The continuance of this great work will depend upon the actions of the General Synod. East Buffalo
